This invention relates generally to desk-top accessories and more particularly concerns a stackable arrangement of a tape dispenser and a stapler.
Convenience is a most desirable feature for desk-top activities. We want to keep all our desk-top tools and gadgets in immediately accessible locations without cluttering up our working desk-top area. The concepts tend to be mutually exclusive.
Desk-top accessories frequently include a tape dispenser and a stapler. They generally rest side-by-side on the desk-top. The more often they are used, the more likely they will have relatively heavy bases covering a large surface area so as to be more stable during use. In order to conserve space, some unitary tape dispenser/stapler combinations have been designed in which the tape dispenser is mounted above or laterally in relation to the stapler. Unitary combinations prohibit separated use and, therefore, merely permit a choice of inconveniences. If the combination is a tape dispenser stacked on top of a stapler, the use of either accessory becomes unstable. In using the stapler, it is necessary to press down on the tape dispenser, an awkward procedure since the tape generally extends from its roll to the cutter which is above the punch end of the stapler. Therefore, in punching a staple, the tape is likely to be messed up. In using the tape dispenser, its base pivots as part of the stapler arm and makes the cutting operation more difficult.
It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a stackable tape dispenser and stapler combination. Another object of this invention is to provide a separable stackable tape dispenser and stapler combination. It is also an object of this invention to provide a stackable combination in which a tape dispenser and a stapler are stable during use in a stacked condition. Yet another object of this invention is to provide a stackable combination in which a tape dispenser and a stapler are stable during use in a separated condition. A further object of this invention is to provide a stackable tape dispenser and stapler combination in which the stapler is stacked above the tape dispenser.